2018 saw the level of horse fatalities at racecourses reach the same as 2014 being the highest percentage in the last four years of the sport after the BHA revealed the figures for the year on Monday.
Overall there was just over 93,000 horses that raced last year and 201 of them unfortunately died due to racing. This shows a fatality rate of 0.22 percent which is exactly the same as 2014 and see's the highest level recorded for four years.
2017 was a good year for the sport as the death rate was at a low of 0.18 percent. When looking in depth into this research, over the last five years collectively the fatality rate remains at 0.2 percent which stands as the lowest on record and gives the sport a positive outcome this century compared to others.
The BHA from these readings have pledged to take action to reach a lower fatality rate and said "stay ahead of public opinion". Last year parliament tried to intervene with the sport and made calls for independent welfare regulator, so this will need to be handled accordingly with eyes currently on the sport at all times.
(Credit Racing Post) Chief regulatory officer Brant Dunshea said: "While it is not good practice to read too much into one year – and the overall trends still point towards an ongoing improvement in our safety rate – it is clear that we must take the issue of racecourse safety seriously and further raise our ambitions in this area.
"Government has publicly said as much and we must consider the risk to the long-term future of the sport should equine injuries lead to public perception of the sport changing.
"The BHA takes a leadership role on this issue and, as ever, we will drive the process of looking at our injury data this year and see what else could be done to make racing safer. The sport will work together in this regard, and we all share a communal responsibility.
"Our industry is full of people who love their horses and who are phenomenal when it comes to offering those animals the best possible care. The standards that we set in this industry are already exceptionally high, but changing public attitudes mean we have to do even better in the future.
"We must stay ahead of public opinion, and we cannot simply regulate our way to success – we all need to work together on this issue."
Flat and jumps racing overall for 2018 did see an increase in horse deaths in the sport with 64 fatalities compared to 47 in 2017 on the flat and 137 over the jumps, where there was just 120 in 2017.